The Revelation Revealed, Chapter 2 · Verse 23
Verſ. 23. And I will kill her children with death; and all the Churches ſhall know that I am he which ſearcheth the reines and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
As the true church of Chriſt hath her children begotten and foſtered up by the immortal ſeed of the word; ſo falſe Teachers and Heretiques have their children alſo, begotten by the ſpirit of deceit and falſhood, and nouriſhed by errors and wickedneſs: So this falſe Nicolaitiſh Propheteſs had her children, followers of her Fornication and Idolatry. In the former verſe we read of her Adulteries; that doth commit fornication with her, and promote her doctrines of Idolatries equally with her ſelf, and that Chriſt would caſt them together into great tribulation, except they repent; and here we find their Iſſue, children of the ſame curſed ſtock, which Chriſt will aſo ſhew no mercy to, but kill her children with death, that is, will ſweep them away in judgment, not only with a violent and precipitant deatnh, …ut will alſo ſlay them with a death eternal. Hence Note,
Obſerv. 1. That children that tread in the ſteps of their wicked parents, are envolved under the ſame judgments with themſelves.
If we be partakers of our Father's ſins, it is juſt that we ſhould be partakers of their puniſhments. If we follow the ſteps of our faithful parents, we ſhall have the ſame reward with them of our faithfulneſs in the latter day. God giveth to every one according to his works; the child ſhall not dye for the ſin of his parent, nor ſhall the child be ſaved for the faith or obedience of his parent: For the Soul that ſinneth ſhall dye: And he that believeth ſhall be ſaved; But as for the little ones that are uncapable of actual ſin or faith, their ſalvation or damnation is according to his will that ſheweth mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardens Rom. 9.
Quest. But if it be demanded, How will it ſtand with the juſtice of God to cut off little children which are innocent, nor ever yet done good or evil, together in judgment with their parents.
Anſw. Little children that had never committed actual ſin, even babes new born, or in the womb doubtleſs periſhed in the floud, and many in Sodome, and yet without impeachment of, or derogation to divine Juſtice.
Firſt, God can do it out of Soveraignty and abſolute dominion which he hath over his creatures He is the Potter, he that made the Veſſel can break it, he that gave life to babes can take it away, and who can ſay why doſt thou this?
Secondly all Infants are defiled with original ſin, and as the wages of ſin is death, ſo God can juſtly inflict death on them, both temporal and eternal, as the due wages thereof together with their parents.
Thirdly, Little children are part of their parents ſubſtance and family, and God may juſtly puniſh the living parent in his child by death, as well as any others of his ſtock and ſubſtance, as by a temporal puniſhment.
Fourthly, Though God may often ſweep away in his temporal judgments many little innocent children, as by the Sword, Famine, &c. and yet they not periſh eternally; for violent or ſudden death is no Argument of God's hatred to them; for many precious ſouls expire by a more terrible and violent death then that of the Sword, Peſtilence, or Famine.
Fifthly and laſtly, For the comfort and the better ſupport of the hopes of faithful parents, for the well being of their little innocent dying infants, whether they are taken off by God, either by an ordinary death, or in a common judgment, let them underſtand for their comfort, that God hath made an everlaſting covenant of grace and ſalvation with Chriſt for all his Elect ones, Gal. 3.16. Iſa. 53.11, 12. and though the Infants of believers die before they can receive the promiſe of the Spirit by faith, yet the choſen ones in Chriſt are ſecure by virtue of God's eternal love towards them in Chriſt, being choſen in him from all eternity, Epheſ. 1.14. and let me with reverence ſpeak it, Chriſt may as ſoon periſh as one of them, he being the head, they the members, making up one myſtical church: Had God ever cloathed himſelf with fleſh in the perſon of the Son, had it not been to lay down a ſufficient price and ranſom to divine Juſtice for all his ever beloved choſen ones? And where there is ſuch a predeterminating love as God's is towards his Elect, and ſuch an ineſtimable and compleat price paid for them as Chriſt's death is, how can any ſuch poſſibly periſh without violation and impeachment both of divine Love, and divine Juſtice? This is a ſurer ground of the ſalvation of ſome dying Infants of believing parents, then that that ſome Arminianiſing perſons of theſe days do make, to wit, the parents faith, the condition of the Infant's ſalvation: Dying Infants with thoſe of that perſwaſion, I leave theſe few following conſiderations.
Firſt, They ſhould do well in the firſt place to produce that grant which they pretend to be in the Goſpel covenant, that the parents faith is the condition of their Infants ſalvation dying ſo; but this will be done ad Graecas Calendas: it ſavors too much of works of Supererrogation and Popery to be true.
Secondly, If ſome dying Infants of believing parents are ſaved on the condition of their parents faith, then all are ſo ſaved that dyes ſo, before they have forfeited their condition by their own actual tranſgreſſions; and if all of them are ſaved dying ſo, then happier would faithful parents be to ſee all their children dy whilſt Infants and innocent, for then they ſhould be ſure of their ſalvation, then to ſee them live, for ſome of them muſt become reprobate and wicked; for few godly parents have ever had all godly children, Abraham had Iſhmael as well as Iſaac, Iſaac had an Eſau as well as a Jacob, Jacob had a Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. brethren in iniquity, as well as Benjamins, ſons of love and comfort.
Thirdly, If all Infants of believers, dying Infants are ſaved on the condition of their parents faith, how comes ſome afterwards to forfeit their condition? Are the conditions of the covenant of grace unſtable, and left in the hand of man that is vain and frail, that would ſoon forfeit them all if a thouſand ſalvations were on them? I always thought the death of Chriſt to be the only proper and meritorious condition of the covenant of grace, and of our ſalvation, and faith to be our principal evidencing condition and qualification, as the way unto life, Heb. 11.1. and at moſt I take it but as the firſt precedent condition to other graces, for God gives one grace as a reward of the well improvement of the firſt grace, he that encreaſeth his Talent, God multiplies his Talents to him; God gives firſt faith unto his people, before he gives them the other graces of his ſpirit, to wit, of adoption, juſtification, or ſanctification. Faith in order of nature is the precedaneous grace unto all others though they are conjunct and inſeparable to that faith which is ſound and ſincere, We receive, ſaith the Apoſtle, Gal. 3.14. the promiſe of the Spirit through faith. Faith is made the thorow-fare, conduit and pipe, whereby God convays all his ſpiritual bleſſings and promiſes into our ſouls; it is Man's receptive inſtrument, and the Spirit's revealing inſtrument; the ſpirit takes the things of God, and reveals them to the faithful ſoul by the inſtrumentality of faith, and the ſoul receives and apprehends them by the ſame inſtrument of faith, and therefore a bleſſed inſtrument both of God and Man.
4. Are all believers Infants in the covenant of grace and ſalvable whilſt Infants, and afterwards fall away when come to years of diſcretion? Hath not Chriſt ſaid that the love of God is unchangeable? Io. 13.1. and is it not impoſſible that any one of his choſen ones ſhould be loſt? Mat. 24. or is his covenant broken? Ier. 31.32. or is Chriſt's death and interceſſion unavailable? Io. 17.15, 20, 21. or is God's wiſdom deceived, or his power and goodneſs made fruſtrate or overcome by the intervention of man's ſin? All which are not only abſurd but impoſſible.
Fifthly, If the parents faith is the condition of ſalvation unto their dying Infants, then Infants are ſaved one way and grown perſons in another way; Infants by the faith of another, to wit, their parents; and grown perſons by their own faith: & how abſurd this is let the judicious conſider. God ſaves none for faith, but ſaves ſome by faith. Faith is not the proper or meritorious condition of the covenant of grace, that alone is the object of faith, Chriſt crucified: Faith is not the condition, but in an improper ſenſe, as repentance and obedience and all other graces are; but I ſhould rather let the word condition lie by us unhallowed for this end, in regard many have ſtumbled at it, by making it an Idol rampant; but I ſhould rather call faith the fruits, effects, or ſome ſpecial branch or bleſſing promiſed in the covenant of grace, for it is ſo mencioned in the new covenant, I will write my Laws in their inward parts, Heb. 8.10. and what is the great commandment or law of God that will be written in the heart? That ye believe in Jeſus Chriſt, and faith is the gift of God: If any take faith to be the condition of the covenant or of ſalvation only, as a qualification, a medium, or way without which grown intelligent perſons cannot be juſtified or ſaved, with ſuch I ſhould not contend, or ſhould make it a precedaneous condition unto other ſubſequent graces, I ſhould not much quarrel with that neither; for I think it to be the firſt foundation grace that the ſpirit works in the elect Saints of God which produceth, cheriſheth, and ſanctifieth all other ſubſequent graces in the ſoul but to make faith, which is our own act, though wrought by God's ſpirit, the condition of our ſalvation in a proper ſenſe, to wit, by performing whereof we may legally and juſtly claim it as our due as wages and debt, the thing promiſed, to wit, life and ſalvation on the performance thereof in a legal way: This is to ſet up ſomewhat of our ſelves, that we may have that whereof to beaſt of, and glory in our own ſtrength. And in the next place it derogates from all ſufficient merits of Chriſt and his precious death, which is the alone legal condition performed for us, and in our behalfs, and whereby we do legally and in the way of juſtice, claim at the hands of Gods juſtification and remiſſion of ſins, adoption and ſanctification, life, ſalvation, and glorification, and all the good things of the Goſpel: But all theſe things are hid unto us, until the ſpirit comes to reveal them to us by faith, Heb. 11.1.
Sixtly and laſtly, If faith therefore will not ſerve turn, but is too ſhort and weak a condition properly and legally underſtood, for the believing parents own ſalvation, then ſurely it will not reach the ſalvation of their Infants; therefore vain to truſt or bind upon it for ſuch a work; for it is alone the garment of our elder brother, the white robes of Chriſts righteouſneſs, that is fit to reach and cover not only the faithful parents, but their children alſo if ſo be God hath choſen them in Chriſt by his eternal love of election; but for ſuch Infants as God hath in his eternal preterition paſſed by, as the Potter hath power over his clay to make thereof either veſſels of honor or diſhonor; who ſhall ſay unto God why haſt thou made me thus? I ſay therefore to aſſert the parents faith the condition of their Infants ſalvation, is a groundleſs reaſonleſs aſſertion, not comporting with the leſt ſavor of truth; and therefore to be excluded out of the Creed of all ſound and orthodox chr…ſtians. See more on ver. 5. of this cap.
And all the Churches ſhall know that I am he which ſearcheth the reines and hearts, &c.] By my righteous Judgments on thoſe children of Idolatry and Fornication▪ all the churches round about ſhall take notice that I am he (ſaith Chriſt) that tries the ſecrets of mens hearts, and ſo as a God omniſcient, and an all-ſeeing Judge, can execute righteous judgments on every one according to his works. Hence Note,
Obſerv. 1. That God knoweth our hearts moſt perfectly, and therefore can judge of us moſt perfectly.
Man knoweth his own heart but in part, but God more perfectly than himſelf, 1 Cor. 4.4, He that created the heart muſt know it, and he that himſelf is infinite muſt comprehend that fully which is finite. The Devil knows not our hearts and thoughts till we do ſome ways manifeſt them by words, geſtures, ſignes, or actions; but God knoweth our thoughts without thoſe means, Pſal. 39.1, 2. The Divel may gueſs at mens thoughts by their natural complexions; but God perfectly knows what is in man without any ſuch helps, Jo. 2.25. The Divel knows but ſome of our thoughts at ſome times; but God knows all our thoughts and ſecreteſt immaginations of our hearts, and that cotinually: And this is the reaſon, becauſe he is the alone Judge of the world, therefore he muſt know all ſecrets, elſe how can he righteouſly reward every one according to his works? Eccleſ. 12.14. Rom. 2.6.
Obſerv. 2. God in his diſtributive juſtice deals with all perſons according to the equity of their works.
He who is Juſtice in the abſtract, will give unto every one what is his. God will give good things unto good men, and evil things unto evil men: And that the certain rule and meaſure of this diſcriminating judgment will be in the laſt day according to our works.
Object, But will it not hence follow, That we may merrit by our works?
Anſw. It is not here ſaid that God will reward us for our works but according to our works; and ſo in Rom. 2.6. Works do not merrit at the hand of God, Rom. 4.2. then we ſhould have whereof to glory, but not before God,
1. Becauſe the beſt are imperfect in reſpect of the moſt perfect Law of God, requiring perfection in every punctillio and circumſtance thereof.
2. Our works being in themſelvs imperfect and finite, cannot merit before an infinite perfection as God is.
3. Works cannot merit becauſe they are not our own primarily, but of God's efficiency.
4. Becauſe men do them as their obliged duties unto God their Creator, but God is debitor unto none.
5. There is no proportion between works and the reward, the one being finite, the other infinite, both in time and meaſure; yet howſoever, though good works cannot be an even rule of merit with God, as they are with men; yet they are a manifeſt rule or meaſure of equitie: For it is very equitable that it go well or ill with us, as we have done either good or evil; and ſo every one ſhall be rewarded according to his works.
Object. But evil-works merit eternal death as their proper hire, and why not good works merit Heaven as his due reward and wages?
Anſw. True, The wages of ſin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life: The one is of our ſelves moſt perfect, and therefore deſerves its wages and reward; but the other is a free gift of the grace of God, in reſpect our beſt and moſt perfect works are imperfect in his ſight.